North Santiam SD 29J budget committee approves $57.27 million budget, levies 4.3973 permanent tax rate

The North Santiam School District 29J budget committee on a voice vote approved the district’s proposed 2025–26 budget of $57,269,721 and voted to levy a permanent tax rate of $4.3973 per $1,000 of assessed value, with an additional $2,340,000 designated for debt‑service on general obligation bonds.

Superintendent Lee Loving framed the plan as guided by a new vision and the district’s five‑year strategic plan and described the budget as "both educationally sound and fiscally responsible." The committee debated budget assumptions, reductions and contingency levels before taking the final motions.

Why it matters: the budget sets spending priorities and tax expectations for the coming fiscal year while staff and the committee continue to monitor state school‑fund decisions, enrollment and contract negotiations that could change the district’s fiscal picture. Business director Rhonda Allen told the committee the district built the budget on conservative assumptions, including a projected student membership of 2,055 ADMr and a budgeted increase to cover an anticipated $1.5 million PERS liability.

What the committee voted on: committee member Karen Odenpaul moved to approve the proposed budget as presented and the motion was seconded; the committee then voted by voice and the chair declared the motion carried. The same session included motions to set the permanent tax rate at 4.3973 per $1,000 and to impose $2,340,000 for debt‑service; both measures were approved by voice vote.

Key details and context: staff said the general fund and revenues were balanced in the proposal and reiterated the budget committee’s role is to approve program priorities and funding recommendations while the school board separately adopts the final budget. Rhonda Allen noted $33,000,008.94 in the general fund portion of the proposal and roughly $8 million in projected property‑tax revenue, while staff also described nearly $11 million in special‑revenue funds and a $2.1 million Student Investment Account (SIA) allocation.

Debate highlights: committee members asked for clarifications about how tightly the district is bound by appropriation categories and when transfers would require board action or a supplemental budget. Members pressed staff on staffing tradeoffs that produced about $800,000 in general fund reductions and on whether some FTE moved into the SIA were contingent on grant continuation. Allen confirmed SIA positions are grant‑funded and that the SIA schedule now sunsets on June 30, 2025 for the two‑year cycle discussed in the presentation.

What’s next: the budget committee’s recommendation will be transmitted to the school board for formal adoption at a separate meeting; staff said adopted budgets must be filed with the Oregon Department of Education and associated state forms by the statutory deadlines. The committee signaled it will monitor enrollment, state funding changes and contract negotiations and may convene supplemental budget discussions if circumstances change.

Quote: "This budget is both educationally sound and fiscally responsible," Loving told the committee as he closed the presentation.

Provenance: the motions and voice votes occurred at the end of the meeting during the formal motion sequence. The committee’s budget approval motion and subsequent tax and debt motions are recorded in the transcript beginning at SEG 3316 and concluding at SEG 3346.

Ending: the chair declared the motions carried and adjourned the budget committee meeting after the vote.